She was near.
He could smell her.
Even with the smell of decay wafting off his serpentine master, he could smell her. Even with the fragrance of the forest near, the odor of the lake water, hers was a unique blend.
She was a tonic for his soul, one of unfulfilled dreams, forbidden desires and endless summers.
She smelled of rosemary and lavender, of poorly made campfires and misbegotten adventures, of adrenaline and lastly of fierce determination.
No my brave lioness, there is nothing that can be done. The pieces have been laid out for this game long since before you were born.
His hand itched to pull his wand from its confines and end the posturing of the madman that seemed determined to talk him into his grave, but he knew he couldn't. It would not end the evil, the evil still resided elsewhere, in the lighting shaped scar that adorned the forehead of his lioness' friend. Who was he to change the fates?
"Kill Nagini"
As the memories filled the vial in the boy's hand he called to her. He wanted his lioness to look at him, to grant him the reprieve he so desperately needed. He wanted her clemency, her sanction, her approval. He simply wanted her.
She smelled of hope.
The darkness clawed at his skin, pulling him deeper into the abyss of madness and despair. He could see her head bent in concentration, her hand stirring a softly simmering cauldron. His hand guiding hers, the blush of innocence and desire colored her otherwise flawless features and his breath caught in the gaping hole from which his life currently drained.
She smelled of salvation.
Images of past and present bled into each other but at the crux of them all was her, her fierce resolve, her valor and steadfastness, his anchor in the hailstorm that had become his life. Her fingers pushed the curtains of darkness from his face and her lips traced scripture on his skin that promised forgiveness and rebirth.
She smelled of deliverance.
His mouth was parched for the healing waters of her soul, for the promise it offered. As the wretched life began to leave him he felt the brush of that promise against his lips and her tears of absolution wash over him. With the breath of life whispered into him, he closed his eyes to the choir of an angel.
"You're forgiven Severus."